Prevention of evaporation losses



April 5, 1932. H. v. ATWELL I 1,852,141

I PREVENTION OF EVAPORATION LOSSES Original Filed April 25. 192.7

Patented Apr. 5, 1932.

" urra STAES PATE T OFFICE Y Y .maom) v. were, or WRITING, mmnm,ASSIGNOB 'ro STANDARD on. com- PANY, OF "WHITING, INDIANA, A CORPORATION' OF EBEVIENTION OF EVAPORATION LOSSES:

fifiginal application filed Aprilg25, 1527, Serial No.

1929'. Serial N01 347, 61.

This inventionrelatesto the prevention of evaporation losses,partmularly from gasoline or other petroleum products containingvolatile fractions; This application forms a division of my application,Serial No.

The invention will be readily understood from the following descriptionillustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which 10 Fig. 1 isanelevation of a general apparatus-embodying the invention, and v Fig. 2is a sectional elevation of the control a paratus.

Re errmg to the drawings, and particularly Fig. 1, 10 are storage tanksfor the volatile liquid and 11 is a vapor storage device which may he agas-holder of conventional form. 12 is the control apparatus, which willbe fully described hereinafter.

2 From the control apparatus, line 13 leads.

In the illustration given, 17 represents a motor which comprises aninverted cupl8 pivotally mounted within a chamber 19 -by means of studs20 which rest on brackets 21, provided with ill-shaped slots. Thebrackets are mounted on ,opposite sides of the chamher 19. lhe invertedcup 18 is provided with steeply depending sides, since it is intendedthat they shall not completely emerge from the liquid in which they areimmersed. The" studs 20 are considerably oft center so as to provide aoonsiderablygreater pressure surface on one side than the other. (in itsshorter side and preferably internally the inverted cup 18 is providedwith a weight 22 so as to balance substantially the greater mass of thelarger side ofthe cup. Beneath the inverted cup 18, a pipe 23 extendsupwardly from the bottom of the'chamber 19, said pipe terminating abovethe level of the liquid in said chamber so that the under-surface of186,478. Divided, and, this application filed March 18,

. w I I t the inverted cup 18 is exposed to atmospheric Pressure. j v 1The chamber 19 is provided with a cover 24 which is fastened thereto inan air-tight manner, for example, by bolts, with an intervening gasket.=F rom they cover 24 ascend hollow, preferably cylindrical, extensions25 and 26, suitably integral with said cover and located over the shortand long ends respec- \tively of the inverted cup 18. Within theextensions 25 and 26, near their lower ends,

are provided peripheral channels 27 and 28,

adapted to contain sealing liquid. Within the upper part of theextensions 25 and 26 are provided cylindrical members 29 and 30.,

peripheral channels 31' and 32, adapted to receive sealing liquid. Abovethe cylindrical members 29 and 30 are located covers 33 and 34. Themembers'25, 29 and 33 are proprovided at their lower ends with internalvided'. with registeringflanges so that they. I

may be bolted together in air-tight manner. The members 26, 30 and 34likewise, are provided with registering flanges so thatthey may besimilarly bolted together. Within the extension 25 are provided aninverted cup :35 having a skirt depending into the sealing liquid'inchannel 31 and an inverted cup 36 ofequal cross-sectional area, having askirt 27. The cups 335 and 36are fixedly mounted depending into thesealing liquid in channel on a hollow stem 37 which extends down--wardly to the. upper surface of the inverted cup 18. The stem 37 is openat its upper end and is provided with a closed, rounde lower lower seal.F rom the cover 33, depends a guide-rod 39 which extends into the hollowstem37, the rod being smaller than the interior of thestem so t atpressurecommuni:

cation is not interrupted thereby;

, Within the extension 26 asimilar valve cup end for cooperation withthe inverted cup 18. Between the cup 36 and its lower end, the stem37'is perforated at 38 so that the pressure of the vapors above theinverted cup 18 preferred to vent excl sively through the Between thecup 41 and its lower end the. stem 42 is perforated at 43 so that thepres-,

' sure of the vapors above the inverted cup 18 is exerted on the upperside of cup 40, through perforations 43- and hollow stem 42. The cup 40and channel 32 are preferably deeper than the cup 41 and channel 28,since it'is preferred to vent exclusively through the .lower seal. Fromthe cover 34 de ends a guide-rod 44 which extends into the hollow stem42, the rod bein smaller than theinterior of the stem, so t at pressurecommunication is not interrupted thereby. The vapor pipe 16 from theliquid storage system com municates with the upper part of chamber 19,

eing preferably connectedto -the cover 24 thereof; The vacuum line 13 isconnected to the extension 25 between the cups 35 and 36, and thepressure line 15 is connected to the extension 26 between the cups 40and 41.

The operation of the apparatus isas follows:

' When the pressure in the liquid storage amount'which may bepredetermined by the 'massof the stem 37 and the cups 35 and 36carried'thereby, the excess pressure on the larger side of the invertedcup 18 causes it to tilt downwardly, raising the shorter side of the cup18 and thereby the stem37 and invertedcups 35 and 36, until the latteris withdrawn from the liquidinchannel 27, whereuponva ors pass from theliquid'storage systemt rough pipes 16. and extension 25 to the vacuumline 13 from which they are removed into the gas-holder 11 by pump 14.This continues until the excessive pressure in the liquidstorage systemis relieved and ,is insuflicient to maintain the cup 18 tilted,whereupon the cup 36 returns to. its closed position. n I

When the pressure in the liquid storage system falls below atmosphericpressure by an amount which may be predetermined by the mass of thestem'42 and the cupsi4O and v 41, carried thereby, the excess pressureon the larger side of the'in'verted cup 18 causes it totilt upwardly,raising the stem 42 and 11 by pipe 15,. exten ion 26'a-nd chamber 19'into a pi e 16 by me ns of which the vapors J pass to t e liquid storage'system. consystem exceeds atmos heric pressure'byan' inverted cups 40and 41' until the latter is tinues until the excessive partial vacuum inthe storage system is relieved and is insuflicient to maintain the cup18 tilted, whereupon the cup 41 returns to its closed position.

Since the press'hre of the liquid space exerts an equal force downwardlyon cup 35 and upwardly on cup 36 and since the pressure in the vacuumline acts equally and oppositely on these'cups, the control of valve 36is completely independent of these pressures and is operated solely bythe difference between the atmosphericand liquid space pressures actingon motor 17. Likewise, valve 41 is operated by the difference betweenthe 80 atmospheric and liquid space pressures actingon motor 17, and iscompletely independent of the liquid space and gas-holder pressures. i

While the invention hasbeen described in connection with the details ofspecific embodiments thereof, it is not intended that such details shallbe regarded as limitations upon thescope of the invention, except in sofar as included in the accompanying claims.

What I regard as new, and desire to secure J by Letters Patent, is:

1. In combination, a chamber, an inverted cup therein pivoted ofl itscenter of pres sure, having sides extending into sealing liq- 05 uid andbeing exposed on one side to atmospheric pressure andon the other sideto the pressure in a liquid storage system, two conduits leading intosaid chamber, valves adapted to close said conduits, operating 100 meansbetween said valves and the inverted cup, aninvertedcup corresponding toeach of said valves and'having' a depending skirt "extending intosealing liquid, a hollow stem connecting each of said valves to thecorre sponding cupwhereby the pressures "on the valves arecounterbalanced by the opposite,

. pressures on said cups. L

2.'In combination, a chamb r, a motor therein adapted tq be moved byvariations in pressure, a vertical extension of said chamber providedwith two superimposed chan nels for sealing liquid, an inverted cup ineach of said channels, each cup being mounted on a hollow stem whichopens 1nto said chamber and into the extension above the uppeninvertedcup and extends to a moving part of said motor, a conduitleading into said chamber and a conduitv leading into said extensionbetween saidchannels.

- 3. In combination, a chamber, an inverted cup therein, pivoted off itscenter pressure, having its sides extending into sealin liquid,

' a pipe leading from the underside oi the inverted cup totheatmosphere, and a conduit leading into said chamber, said chamber be'ing provided near each end of the inverted "-cup with an upwardextension, each extension being provided. with a pair. ofsuperimposedchannels adaptedjto receive sealing liqmunicating with thecasing uid, and a conduit leading into each extension between the pairsof superimposed channels, inverted cups seating in said channels, a.hollow spindle in each extension, on which each pair of superimposedcups is mounted, said hollow spindle cooperating with the surface of thetilting inverted cup and opening into said chamber and into saidextension above the upper cup.

4. In an apparatus of the type described, a balanced valve comprising avertical casing, a pair of superimposed channels therein adapted toreceive sealing liquid, a pair of inverted cups in said channels ofsubstantially equal cross-sectional area, a hollow member on which saidvalves are mounted, said member making communication between the spaceabove the upper cup and the space below the lower cup, and a conduitcommunicating with said casing between said channels.

5. A balanced valve for controlling fluid flow, comprising a verticalcasing closed at one end and open at the other end, a pair ofsuperimposed channels in said casing adapted to receive sealing-liquid,a pair of inverted cups in said channels of substantially equalcross-sectional area, a hollow member on which said valves are mounted,said member making communication between the space above the upper cupand the space below the lower cup, and a conduit communicating with saidcasing between said channels, the channel and cup nearer the closed endof said casing being substantially deeper than the channel and cupnearer the open end, whereby fluid passage occurs between the latterchannel and cup.

6. A balanced valve structure for controlling passage of vapor through aconduit, comprising a casing, an interior channel in said casing adaptedto receive sealing liquid, a sleeve removably mounted in said casing andprovided with an interior channel adapted to receive sealing liquid, apair of inverted cups of substantially equal cross-sectional area insaid channels, a hollow member on which said cups are mounted, saidmember being open to the spaces above and below the upper and lower cupsrespectively, and a conduit combetween the first said channel and saidsleeve. 7. In a balanced valve structure, means constituting a pair ofsuperimposed liquid channels, a pair of inverted cups of substantiallyequal cross sectional area, cooperating therewith, a hollow stemcarrying said cups and open to the upperside of the upper cup and beingexposed on one side to atmospheric pressure and on the other side to thepressure in a liquid storage system, two conduits leading into saidchamber, valves closing said conduit, and a stem connecting each of saidvalves to the inverted cup, said stem cooperating with the surface ofthe inverted cup to openand close said valves.

9. A balanced valve construction for controlling the passage of vaporthrough a conduit, comprising a casing, a pair of superimposed liquidchannels therein, a pair of inverted cups co-operating therewith, one ofsaid cups being less deep than the other and adapted to serve as avalve, a stem carrying said cups reciprocably mounted in said casing,and meansfor actuating said stem.

10.- In a balanced valve structure, a casing, a pair of superimposedliquid channels, a pair of inverted cups co-operating therewith, ahollow stem carrying both of said cups, and a guide rod supported insaid casing and extending into said hollow stem.

11. In combination, a casing" affording a chamber, a motor thereinadapted to be moved by variations in pressure, a vertical extension ofsaid chamber providing a pair of superimposed liquid channels, and apair of inverted cups cooperating therewith, said cups being carried bya slidably mounted stem which is hollow, said stem opening into saidchamber and into the extension above the upper inverted cup andbeingactuated by a moving part of said motor.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of March,1929.

HAROLD V. ATWELL.

and the lowerside of the lower cup, the means constituting the upperchannel being removable from the structure, whereby the cups and stemare likewise removable.

8. In combination, a chamber and inverted cup therein pivoted off itscenter of pressure, having sides extending into sealing liquid

